Empty streets are photographed after Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Havana on November 6, 2024. Hurricane Rafael knocked out power across Cuba on Wednesday as it reached the island, which is still reeling from recent blackouts and a previous major hurricane, the national power company said. , Photo courtesy: AFP
Cuba was horrified on Thursday (November 7, 2024) A massive Category 3 storm wreaked havoc across the island and knocked out the country’s power grid.
The magnitude of the impact remained unclear in the early hours of the day, but forecasters warned that Hurricane Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surge, winds and flash flooding to Cuba after devastating the Cayman Islands and parts of Jamaica.
On Wednesday evening (November 7, 2024), huge waves hit Havana’s shores, strong winds and rain lashed the historic city, flooding streets. Most of the city was dark and deserted.
As it passed through Cuba, the storm slowed to a Category 2 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico near northern Mexico and southern Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
But with a strange feeling after a difficult few weeks in the Caribbean nation, many Cubans are left picking up the pieces of last night.
The island was dealt a one-two punch in October. At first, Cuba was troubled by blackouts lasting several days across the entire island, the result of the island’s energy crisis. Shortly afterward, it was hit by another powerful typhoon, killing at least six people on the eastern side of the island.
This inflamed discontent already simmering amid Cuba’s ongoing economic crisis, which has prompted many people to flee Cuba.
While the State Department issued a travel warning for Cuba due to the story, the Cuban government also issued a warning and asked citizens to remain vigilant.
Classes and public transportation were suspended in parts of the island and authorities canceled flights in and out of Havana and Varadero. Thousands of people were evacuated to the west of the island as a preventive measure, and many like Silvia Pérez, a 72-year-old retiree who lives in Havana’s coastal area, struggled to prepare.
“It’s a night I don’t want to sleep in with the howling wind and trees,” Perez said. “I’m scared for my friends and family.”
Of concern, the storm caused power outages in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, where flooding and landslides also occurred.
Rafael is the 17th named storm of this season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that the 2024 hurricane season will be well above average, with 17 to 25 named storms. The forecast called for 13 typhoons and four major hurricanes.
An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, of which seven are hurricanes and three are major hurricanes.
published – November 07, 2024 10:31 am IST